THE RACING WORLD

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 288, 3 September 1942, Page 3

THE RACING WORLD

TARANAKI’S EXTRA DAY Autumn Date Wanted

(By

The Watch er.)

The Taranaki Jockey Club lias decided to allot its extra day to the autumn meeting and has applied for February 27 and Marell 6 as the dates for the fixture. In the fixtures confirmed for- tills season by the annual conference. Taranaki was given February 13. February 27 clashes with Rangltlkei. Rangitikel were unable to race last autumn, but at their annual meeting there recently it was stated that a big effort would be made to race on their single allotted day this season, either at Bulls or some adjacent course. Consistent Record.

Indian Sun, Saturday’s steeplechase winner, lias uow three wins and a second to ills credit in his last four starts, and it has been said his rider was rather eager at Pakuranga or lie mav have won there, too. Indian Sun is almost a novice at the game, but has made marked improvement in a very short time. The BulandsharSunbar gelding is only six years old and appears to have a big future. Next winter his name may figure prominently in the results of some of the more important cross-country events. E. J. Watt Leaven Big Estate. Estate and probate duties exceeding £250,U99 will be paid on the estate of the late Mr. E. J. Watt, formerly of Rose Bay, Sydney. Mr. Watt had extensive pastoral interests, and was the owner over a long period of many noted racehorses, ills estate has been sworn for probate at £610,558. Among the bequests in his will are gifts of £5OO eacli to the Returned Soldiers’ Associations in Sydney,. Brisbane, and Longreaeh, and £5OO to G. P. Nallon, Randwick, who had trained some ot Mr. ■Watt’s horses. To his widow. Mr. Watt left, an annuity of £5OOO a year, free of all deduetions and of Commonwealth and State taxes.

Galloping Well. Nizam galloped a smart five furlongs at Ellerslie on Tuesday morning, easing up at the finish to run 1.3 1-5.

Name Disallowed. The name of La Bonne Fille .for Mr. H. M. Glazebrook’s Broiefort—Hunting Lodge filly was objected to by the New Zealand Trotting Conference, so another will have to be chosen before she races.

Class Racing. It.is to be hoped that the plea tor class horses will not fail on deaf ears. Most of the welght-for-age races for distance horses have disappeared during recent years, the chief cause being, frankly, financial, as they, were mostly competed for by .small fields, with the result a toregone conclusion. Even so they were an attraction and as tho ultimate aim of the breeding industry- is to get class horses, it seems a pity that opportunities tor such annuals are so few. This war, more than previously, the lack ot class races is going to ibe felt, as horses like Battledress, Happy Ending. Gladynev. etc., are remaining in New Zealand. Take the case, of Battledress. He lias 9.7 in the forthcoming Avondale Cup and success there would mean that he would be up to 10.0 or thereabouts for the .remainder of the season. Few owners would race a good horse under welter weights in handicaps, except a. rare intervals. There will also be no lack this year of three-year-old talent, and if it is not possible to- reinstate a proper w.f.a. event on some programmes there seems no reason why a limited handicap with a maximum weight in the vicinity of 9.0 should not prove a great draw. Otago Hunt. There Is a fairly general opinion that, if tlie stakes .attached to the .Otago Hunt Club’s programme had been’ \allowed to remain at last year’s figures, the fields would not have reached their present strength (says tho “Otago Dally Times”). The visiting patronage would no doubt have been less than what is the ease. 9’lie field for the Otago Hunt Cloo Steeplechase is mostly comprised of visiting horses, and the same applies to the Tally-Ho Handleap. It was) a wise move to increase the stakes substantially, and itbe’ club should enjoy a more successful meeting than usual.

Compeer. IVlngatul reports state that, Compeer has freshened up well since the Grand National meeting, and. is working freely. His owner, D. J. McDonald, has been released from military duties for a few weeks, and was watching, him work on Saturday morning.

Only One Start. The field for the President's Handicap at IVlngatui on Saturday Includes Macedoine, a filly by Salmagundi—Honest Maid, bv Paladin—Honesty, by Martian. She wns bred by the late'Mr. E. C. Govan, and ran unplaced -in the McLean Stakes, her only start. Another in the same race is Paper Smith, a three-year-old geldin'g by Paper Money from Universal, by Arrowsmith. Universal is a Queen -of Song.' Paper Smith with unplaced, in Ills only start last season.

Guineas Contests. ■■ . The usual sequence of M anganui Guineas and Avondale Guineas will be reversed this year, the. latter event being run first. With a rteek intervening it will ho possible for a horse to contest, both races. Four three-year-olds appear In both events, Voltaire, Representative, Sunblaze and Beau Vaals.

Smash at Addington. The ugliest smash seen al Addington for years occurred in the National Handicap; on Saturday. As the big field raced tip the straight the second time, something occurred which caused Great Blaze to .fell and in a trice Foremost. Junior, Special Edition and, Pleasant Guy were in a heap, and Bronze Engle and Jaekaranda had to be pulled up. Haughty got clear.-but appeared to lose a - bit -of ground, and- Jesse Owens Just missed the melee. L. Frost, driver of Foremost

Junior, was catapulted Into the air and landed on the rail, and R- Townley and J. Bryce Jun, were ha)f buried in a tangle of prostrate horses and sulkies. After the smash J. Bryce juu.. R. Townley and L. Frost were placed in the ambulance van for conveyance .to hospital. Before the vehicle had reached the road Bryce had recovered, aud he drove in three subsequent races. It. Townley was badly shaken and a bit scarred, but lie was back at the course before the last race. Answers to Correspondents. “J.W.T..” Hastings: No bet.